I read the whole policy statement, and I believe there is no good option for them. Clearly, they tried to adhere to the Constitution in welcoming CCW into their stores.
At this point, they are right - both sides are squeezing them in a way there is no winning.
Now their policy is to indicate that CCW isn’t welcome, but if you come into a store and order coffee, nobody is going to trouble you about it.
The fact is, I’d rather not have to carry a gun for my own protection, but times have changed. I don’t welcome carrying a gun either, but I do.
I sympathize with Starbucks. I’m not a fan of their stuff, and I really had a hard time with their platitudes printed on their cups a few years ago. They stopped doing that.
It’s pretty clear they realize that drinking coffee is a bipartisan custom. Everything, everything we do today has become politicized. Both political parties are to blame for that - they have taken too many liberties with the founder’s original documents, and the SCOTUS allowed it all to stand.
If I need coffee, and there’s a Starbucks nearby, this policy isn’t going to keep me from spending my money there.
My two cents.